Alaska Cruises

[Szt]

We need some advice. We want to plan an AK cruise. But there are so many itineries to choose from. 
We love beautiful scenery, quaint fishing villages, wildlife and nature. We’d especially 

love to see whales. I like to do travel photography I can turn into paintings. We are not in the best of shape and extensive walking is not possible. We don’t have kids and are not big drinkers (at least by WI standards) or into the night life at all. Big cities hold no interest for us. Neither does shopping. 
 

We live in the Wisconsin Northwoods, so snow and ice is

nothing new for us, but I hear Glaciers are beautiful. We always get a balcony cabin so we can see the sights right from the ship when possible. 
 

So, with a basic understanding of what we like, which (7day) itinerary, cruise line and time of year do you think is best for us? We have cruised on NCL, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Liked them all, but Princess best. 
 

[CruiserBruce]

Come over to the Alaska board, here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/

 

You will see your question, or certainly a close variant, asked almost daily. Lots you can learn there.

[donaldsc]

All of the ships in all of the lines you mentioned are oversized monstrosities and especially for AK.  Have you considered any of the smaller <1000 passenger ships.  Yes there are still some of them still out there.  Then there are the really small 100 - 200 passenger ships.  When I cruise AK my maximum passenger size ship is ~200 people.

 

DON

[Szt]

31 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

All of the ships in all of the lines you mentioned are oversized monstrosities and especially for AK.  Have you considered any of the smaller <1000 passenger ships.  Yes there are still some of them still out there.  Then there are the really small 100 - 200 passenger ships.  When I cruise AK my maximum passenger size ship is ~200 people.

 

DON

 

[Szt]

I bet they can get in to ports others can’t. I will check into that- though they may be too pricey for us. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

Oceania Regatta at 670 passengers. Great food and service with included airfare, specialty dining, wine at meals, free internet, tours credit and, in summer months, even a kids program on the Alaska cruises. 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Flatbush Flyer

[lynncarol]

Even though we have diamond status on Royal Caribbean, my husband and I chose Princess as the latter has access to Glacier National Park and RCCL doesn't.  To us that was worth giving up our free booze. 

[donaldsc]

36 minutes ago, Szt said:

I bet they can get in to ports others can’t. I will check into that - though they may be too pricey for us. 

 

We did a cruise 2 summers ago on a ship that held 180 people.  It was wonderful.  We have even done one on a ship that held 50 people.  They are expensive but one thing to consider when you compare costs is that really small ships tend to include all excursions.  The excursions we did on our last ship were probably valued at maybe $700 or $800.  Getting really close to several glaciers in a zodiac was priceless.  When one glacier calved our zodiac rocked.  In addition they are usually open bar.  Those things help a bit.  

 

DON

[YourWorldWithBill]

4 hours ago, Szt said:

We need some advice. We want to plan an AK cruise. But there are so many itineries to choose from. 
...............

So, with a basic understanding of what we like, which (7day) itinerary, cruise line and time of year do you think is best for us? We have cruised on NCL, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Liked them all, but Princess best. 
 

Princess and Holland America have the most experience in Alaska, and Holland America the most of the two. We have cruised on more expensive lines, but chose Holland America for our Alaska cruise and loved it. We saw everything we were interested in seeing; a nature walk seeing black bears up close, Mendenhall Glacier, etc.

 

Important point: a limited number of ships are allowed each day in Glacier Bay. The Holland America and usually the Princess ships get in. I've seen the same thing at ports when we docked and others couldn't. Because of their experience in knowing the best excursions, I think you can't go wrong with one of these. 

[AKJonesy]

I also suggest HAL and based upon what you said about your lifestyle.  Even though I live in Alaska, we still do cruises because it's a less expensive way for us to get down to SE Alaska from where we live.  In the summer, you will see more kids on HAL than once school season starts up but HAL doesn't really cater that much to kids anyway, so that's why we like it.  It's more laid back.  There are a few ships to pick from and a few itineraries.  Weather really starts dipping down in September, but it's still lovely.  No matter what time of year you come, you will still need to prepare for weather.  

[jsn55]

8 hours ago, Szt said:

We need some advice. We want to plan an AK cruise. But there are so many itineries to choose from. 
We love beautiful scenery, quaint fishing villages, wildlife and nature. We’d especially 

love to see whales. I like to do travel photography I can turn into paintings. We are not in the best of shape and extensive walking is not possible. We don’t have kids and are not big drinkers (at least by WI standards) or into the night life at all. Big cities hold no interest for us. Neither does shopping. 
 

We live in the Wisconsin Northwoods, so snow and ice is

nothing new for us, but I hear Glaciers are beautiful. We always get a balcony cabin so we can see the sights right from the ship when possible. 
 

So, with a basic understanding of what we like, which (7day) itinerary, cruise line and time of year do you think is best for us? We have cruised on NCL, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Liked them all, but Princess best. 
 

Seems like a small ship would suit you best, especially for Alaska.

[crystalspin]

13 hours ago, Szt said:

So, with a basic understanding of what we like, which (7day) itinerary, cruise line and time of year do you think is best for us? 

As you can see from my signature, I am at least a HAL fan-girl and sometimes called a cheerleader. 

 

I think you should choose the 7-day Alaska Explorer (R/T Seattle) on the Eurodam. You should take an excursion at Juneau that takes you to Auke Bay to see the resident pod of humpback whales. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated so much it is quite a trek to even get to where you see it across the melt-pond. But you will have a nice long day at Glacier Bay; the captain will turn the boat constantly so you can get good views from your own balcony. 

 

At Sitka, take a multi-focus tour that includes at least the otter-viewing boat ride (you will see other wildlife, too, including more whales) and the Fortress of the Bears. Ours also included the Raptor Rescue Center, which was OK; there is also an EASY forest trail with time to stroll at the end of the educational presentation. There was also time to wander into the town (there was a shuttle).

 

At Ketchikan, if you are not wanting to drop the big bucks, you might look into a non-ship excursion that takes you to one or more of the three? totem pole parks. The state park requires the most walking but gives you a taste of what it's like outside the town. You will see bald eagles on trees everywhere, like seagulls!

 

When to go? I am partial to June and the long hours of daylight, especially considering the late time in Juneau. The whales are SO active because they are just back in the nutrient-rich northern waters, and the babies are still "cute" having been born around Hawaii over the winter. Our last/third AK cruise was in August 2018, and we hoped to see bears in the wild fishing for salmon, but they had very disappointing salmon runs just about everywhere that year.

 

This itinerary is published for the rest of this year, 2024, and 2025. Just click the "More Dates and Fares" below the first dates shown.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise.html#{!tag=destinationTag}destinationIds=A&{!tag=departTag}departDate=&{!tag=durationTag}duration=6-8&{!tag=embarkTag}embarkPortCode=&{!tag=portsTag}portsOfCall=SIT&{!tag=shipsTag}shipId=ED&{!tag=regionTag}regions=&{!tag=cruisetypeTag}cruiseType=&soldOut=false&sort=&group.sort=&start=0

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by crystalspin

[YourWorldWithBill]

10 hours ago, crystalspin said:

When to go? I am partial to June and the long hours of daylight, especially considering the late time in Juneau. The whales are SO active because they are just back in the nutrient-rich northern waters, and the babies are still "cute" having been born around Hawaii over the winter.

Thanks for answering a question I've had since my last Alaska cruise! We went in the beginning of September, and didn't see as much wildlife (except bears!) as we hoped. Saw the Aurora, but that was in Juneau. 

 

So, our next plan is to go hoping to see more whales, and June was our idea, so you've confirmed it. To @Szt, you see different things at different times. One of the highlights for us was the black bear spotting/nature walk in Ketchikan! And since this might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip, think about spending the large fee for a helicopter to walk on the glacier! 

 

We thought it was  once-in-a-lifetime trip, but as soon as it was over we started thinking about going back!